We all expected a hit on the National Party as soon as Key was overseas: here it is

by Whaleoil Staff on April 18, 2016 at 5:30pm

Mr Earl Hagaman, CNZM

Labour says there are question[SIC] to answer over a National Party donor winning a hotel management contract in Niue after making a major donation during the tender process.

Leader Andrew Little has written to the Auditor-General to ask her to investigate Earl Hagaman, who donated more than $100,000 to the party, and whether everything was above board.

The donation was made two years ago, and a month later his company, Scenic Circle, was awarded a Government-funded $7.5 million upgrade to its resort in Niue.

Mr Little says it “stinks to high heaven following its dodgy deals with SkyCity and the Saudi sheep deal”.

“New Zealand money, which was earmarked as aid for the island nation, has instead been given to upgrade a resort run by a National party donor. That’s not what Kiwi families want their hard-earned money going to.”

Stinks to high heaven, says Andrew.

Prime Minister John Key referred questions to the National Party president because he didn’t deal with donations.

“If you’re telling me they’re a donor they are. They must be on a register somewhere, but I don’t know anything about it.”

Questions about the tender process, who knew about the links between the donations and the tenderer and whether the Niuean people will benefit from the upgrade needed to be answered, Mr Little says.

“It was Murray McCully’s personal appointees on the Niue Tourism Property Trust which awarded this contract.”

Mr McCully strongly denies there’s any link between the donation and the contract.

“Absolutely none whatsoever,” he told RNZ.

Let’s see where this goes. This is Day 1, so it’s just a matter of getting the information out in front of the media and try and get the players to take positions. Once that’s done, the next load of info will come out.

It’s only then that we’ll know if this has any substance. Right now, it’s innuendo.

And as we know from Andrew, if it looks dodgy, it must be dodgy.

– Newshub, via RNZ

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